Letter-box



(NoModeL) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

A. D. OUSHING & A MITCHELL.

LETTER BOX;

Patented Feb. 14, 1893.

Vii/57306866 W W1 2 Sheets-Sheet 2,

A. D. (BUSHING & A MITCHELL.

LETTER BOX.

No. 491.533. Patented Feb. 14, 1893.

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WZZOTWS nowms PETERS co warm-urns WASHINGTON o c ALFRED DARLING GUSHINGAND ALEXANDER MITCHELL, OF VVI-IEELING, WVEST VIRGINIA, ASSIGNORS TO THEPOSTAL IMPROVEMENT COMPANY,

OF NORRISTOYVN, PENNSYLVANIA.

LETTER-BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 491,533, dated February14, 1893.

Application filed $eptem'ber 23, 1891. tierial No. 406,602. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ALFRED DARLING CUSHING and ALEXANDER MITCHELL,citizens of the United States, residing in the city of Wheeling, Ohiocounty, "West Virginia, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Letter-Boxes; and we do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, suchas will I0 enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

Our invention relates to letter and other like boxes.

The improved box is adapted for use as a collection box only, or as acombined collection and delivery box in connection with dwellings,office buildings, (be.

The invention consists essentially in the combination of a box orreceptacle for mail matter, a dome or riser connected with said box, atilting apron or platform for closing the throat or passage from dome tobox and a swinging door or flap leading into the dome adapted to liftthe apron to close the throat when it is vibrated and to beautomatically returned to normal position by the tilting apron.

The invention also consists in other oombi nations hereinafter describedand claimed.

In the drawings forming a part of this speci fication,Figure 1, is aperspective of our box;

Fig. 2, is a vertical section showing the ar rangement of thecompartments and the tilting apron; Fig. 3, is a horizontal section onthe line (Ia-03 of Fig. 2, showing the apron in its tilted or hangingposition; Fig. 4, is a perspective of a segment of one end of thetilting apron or platform; Fig. 5, is a perspective of a portion of theswinging door or flap; Fig.

6, is an end view of the form of box adapted for both delivery andcollection; Fig. 7, is a section of the same.

A is the main box or receiver for mail matter; B a dome connected withand rising above the main compartment, and O a hinged door leading intosaid main compartment secured in place by any suitable lock.

D is an apron or platform hung on pintles so as to drop by gravity, asshown in dotted lines, when not raised and held in horizontal positionby a swinging door, to be described. This apron closes the throat orpassage from the dome compartment to the main receptacle when mail isdeposited in the dome part and drops and discharges the mail to the maincompartment upon being released.

E is a swinging door or flap mounted in one or both ends of the domecompartment having its axis of movement behind and outside of the axisof movement of the tilting apron D. The apron and door are provided withcam projections d and e respectively so that when the door is swunginward to permit the introduction of mail matter to the dome compartmentthe apron will be brought to the horizontal position and separate thetwo parts of the box from each other. The pivots of the apron and doorand the cam faces are so adjusted and the latter so formed that theapron is brought to the horizontal position before the door has movedfar enough to open into the dome compartment, the further movement ofthe door merely holding the apron up.

In the form of box shown in Figs. 5 and 6, we have provided two maindrawers or compartments F, F, for mail, one for delivery to which thehouseholder may have the key and one for collection to which the postmanshould have the key, and in order that mail inserted to the dome pastthe swinging door may be deposited in the collection or deliverycompartment, as may be desired, we have provided a manually operatedwing or chute G. This wing may be operated by a crank g or by a pull, ash, and it may be normally in position to direct mail matter to either ofthe compartments. The swinging of this wing to direct mail to thecollection compartment may be made to operate a signal to indicate thepresence of mail for collection which may be seen at a distance.

Attached to any prominent part of the box is a dial or scale H and amovable pointer or indicator I readily operated by a key or otherwise.By this means, the postman when making collections may announce the timeof the next collection. This device will operate as a tell-tale by whichan inspector or the pub lie may determine Whether the postman has madehis rounds at or about the prescribed time.

The box herein described may be attached to a lamp-post or other supporton the street, to the outer or inner Wall or door of a building bybolts, straps or other means.

Having now described our invention, What We claim, is-

The combination of a box having a main compartment for holding mailmatter and a relatively narrow auxiliary compartment or passage forconducting the mail to the main

